Diet and Health FAQ

Tagged As: Ulcerative Colitis Diet Food

Question:
I was wondering if some of the ulcerative colitis patients would be willing to share thoughts, ideas, and advice regarding what might be best to eat...and avoid eating...during a bad flare-up?

Answer:
I have distal UC which was diagnosed 2 years ago, but even before that I found I had to eliminate dairy and high-fat foods from my diet. Also coconut milk and coconut cream give me pain, and bananas. Dietitian told me to stick to a low residue diet while really sick - this means only eating fiber that can be chewed into a paste in the mouth. So anything with skin is out - this includes corn, onion and unpeeled fruits such as apples. These irritate the bowel. Also avoid nuts and grains for the same reason. I usually eat toast, rice, jelly (jello) and tinned peaches, pasta, grilled or stir fried chicken, mashed potato etc when very sick. But it is also important to maintain your nutrition, so you should not be on a restricted diet for too long without seeing a dietitian. There are also supplement drinks such as ensure and fortisip which if necessary you can survive on as long as you have about 6 a day. These are specially formulated nutritional drinks that contain protein and important vitamins and minerals. They do contain a modified milk protein but my dietitian has assured me that they are specially formulated to not cause problems for people with allergies. They are lactose-free as well. I hope this helps. Keep in mind that everyone is different when it comes to a diet they can tolerate - you learn through trial and error. Keeping a food and symptom diary can be helpful. I am not certain what low residue means exactly, but I'll try to find more information in this   regard. At this point, there is just no telling what is causing the terrible pain, excess consistent mucus, blood, diarrhea, whatever...there's just no telling.  I mean...if you eat something on Monday, and your gut is really in a mess on Wednesday, could it be from the food you ate on Monday, or is it from something you've just eaten on Wednesday? It's impossible to tell, unless you only eat one single food, I suspect. And even then things change from day to day.  It is so frustrating not to know how to help. http://www.northwesternmemorial.org/patient_ed_pdfs/pt_ed_low_fiber_d... You can also get one on the ccfa site.  I have Crohn’s but in a flare I go on liquids and things easy to digest and stay away from meats fibers and stuff that are hard on the gut.  Usually with pain it is caused by inflammation but sometimes the nerves can cause problems too.   Spaghetti was a huge no no for me. I didn't have it too spicy so I'm not sure but I think it was the noodles and not the sauce. Sure, there were plenty more things I couldn't eat or drink but that one immediately springs to mind. Ultimately you'll have to ask yourself how long you want to continue avoiding certain food and drink because it could trigger intense pain and possibly very embarrassing situations. I got UC when I was 22 and spent the next 10 years trying to convince myself that I would be OK.  Perhaps a cure would be discovered before anything drastic had to be done. Long story short, I now wear a bag just below and to the right of my belly button. Looking back it was THE BEST thing I've done since getting UC. All the other diets, drugs, and avoidance just put off the inevitable. Now, I can eat anything at any time, drink whatever I want, go out without needing to know where all the toilets are, and generally do everything much as I did it before the UC. Of course, there will be no more diving volleyball digs, but next to the benefits that's a small price to pay. The bag takes a little getting used to, don't get me wrong. I wish I didn't have one.  I also wish I didn't have UC, (but I'll bet people in hell want ice water, what are you gonna do?)  Now I don't. I consider it a pretty good trade off. I know my wife who has been with me through almost all of it ( I had some long stretches where I had no symptoms if you're wondering why anyone would knowingly hook up with someone with such a debilitating disease) appreciates and considers my having had the operation a verrrrry good thing indeed. Unfortunately with Crohn’s and Colitis some foods are intolerable for some people and yet have no affect on others.  I´ll write you a list of what I have to avoid anyway though and maybe it will trigger some memories of what you may have eaten when you´ve been bad...Tomatoes (even in spaghetti sauces, but not ketchup!!) Onions Pizza (I think it´s just too heavy) Chips Anything that´s really greasy Veg, especially carrots Chinese food (all the veg in it I guess!) Hard fruit such as apples especially the skin, I can eat bananas though and I can always tolerate McDonalds hamburgers and cheeseburgers. These are just a few things that affect me, everybody is different but I hope it helps a little bit. When the flare up is really bad. I try to drink only fluids, alone...for, maybe, 1 or 2 days..; but, anymore than that, and, I feel I've got to eat...; as, otherwise, my weight drops off frighteningly fast! As well as, one can end up lacking taking in proper nourishment. When, I'm on a strict liquids only diet...I try to drink only the most nourishing of drinks...such as fruit juices/Ribenea(red syrup with vitamins)/Soya Bean milk/-etc. And, sometimes, as my stomach slowly improves...I try drinking porridges...as opposed to eating whole foods. Either Scotts oat porridge/or, cornmeal porridge. One of the things I tend to drink, regularly, all during a Colitis outbreak...is Barley water...which seems to have a very gentle/soothing effect on the stomach. And, I also like to drink a lot of clear mineral water.../or, else, boiled tap water...(which is left to cool down, properly, afterwards, of course...until it's become lukewarm)...this is to help clear out of the gut any impurities. Are you on the SCD diet?  If not I would highly recommend you get the book Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall.  I promise it will end all your problems. I have cut back on the processed sugar, oil and grease. Last time I flared up I went on a liquid diet. Let the intestine heal. I juiced vegetables and fruit. Didn’t have to go to the Dr. Off meds for 5 years.